How can you possibly make a comeback from being the most hated man in
Britain? It's a position that none of us would want to be in and just 12
months ago the return of Crispian Mills would have ranked several places
below that of Darius and scouse popstar Sonia. The problem was that he
didn't just put himself up for a simple ribbing on Have I Got News For
You - when he announced misguidedly that "the swastika is a symbol of peace"
he became the most hated figure in planet pop and from that moment Kula
Shaker's fate was signed, sealed and delivered. But after several line-up
changes and tours with Pi and a personal request from Robbie Williams to
open up for him on his last arena tour it seems like Mills has been speaking
to the gods.

The Jeevas are damn near the most perfect rock & roll band Britain
has right now and the only band we have that can compete with the Vines
and the Strokes. Gone are the public school affectations and Eastern Mysticism
that clouded Kula Shaker and in is an altogether more relaxed frontman
who jokes that he's been learning Anthrax tunes all day (Ed: They're playing
in the Academy 2 below fact fans) and dedicates "Once Upon A Time In America"
to Michael Moore and Joe Strummer. Stripped down to a 3 piece encompassing
ex-members of Indie underdogs Straw the album "1234" has the sort of songs
which make Kula Shaker look like a shoddy rehearsal...live they're even
better which makes the inclusion of "303", "Hush" and "Hey Dude" a nice
gesture if a little unnecessary. Dipping into the past they rewrite the
Beatles "Don't Let Me Down" on "What Is It More?", twist nursery rhymes
into philosophical statements on "Edge Of The World", update "You've Got
My Number" for the noughties and manage to successfully wipe any trace
of cynicism with each successive song.

If new song "I Can't Feel My Legs" is an indication of what's to come
with the second album then it can only be a matter of time before the Jeevas
truly capture the hearts of the nation. There's no doubting it's going
to be a hard struggle with the weight of the media fighting them all the
way, but the truth is with the exception of the notorious statement, Mills
was one of the few people in the Britpop scene who possessed a modicum
of intelligence. What Crispian really needs to do though is abandon all
his ties with Kula Shaker, get out on the road with a high profile support
slot and play to a younger audience with open ears and open hearts who
will simply judge the songs on their own merits without any of the baggage
of his previous bands. It's only at this point that the Jeevas are truly
going to achieve the success they deserve and it would be a terrible shame
if a band of this quality simply ended up with a cult following when they
could be playing stadiums.